HARTFORD — Ryan Boatright tried to come out and play the second half, but was obviously limping. After one possession, he limped off the court, the deep bruise in his left thigh made it impossible to continue.

NEW YORK – UConn has the American Athletic Conference preseason player of the year.
The Huskies also have the conference rookie of the year.
And they were picked No. 1 in the league's poll of coaches.
It all adds up to a target on UConn's back...

STORRS — At the end of the day, it was Shabazz Napier's bus.
You never knew the route: 0-for-7 one half, 10-for-11 the next. There would be head fakes and fouls until the free throws added up. The miraculous shot, the defiance. It was the ride of a...

STORRS — When last season started, Kentan Facey wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to play for UConn. Then as the season progressed, he wondered when he might get the chance.
"That's definitely a dark place," Facey said before the Huskies played...

STORRS — Omar Calhoun didn't play in the Final Four, played only four minutes in the NCAA Tournament and didn't make a basket over the last two months of the season.
But in the moments following UConn's run to the national championship last April,...

ARLINGTON, Texas – Among Kevin Ollie's many notable phrases is "believing in the dark." He expects his players to believe, even when they can't see.
When he took them to the site of the Final Four in January, he expected them to believe. When he grabbed the microphone at Gampel Pavilion and told the 10,000 fans he planned to come back in April and hang a banner, he expected them to believe.
The rest of us? We knew better, didn't we? The way the Huskies were playing in Texas in January, the way...

BUFFALO, N.Y. — UConn and Villanova are no longer in the same conference, but they are not strangers. They know exactly what to expect from each other in the NCAA Tournament.
"We know it's going to be a grinding, Big East-style basketball game," UConn's Ryan Boatright said. "It's really been like that all year. SMU played like that, Cincinnati played like that. We didn't lose [that style], we just don't have the title Big East team."
The Huskies, seeded seventh in the East Regional, and the No....

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Although Shabazz Napier's achievement — leading UConn in scoring, assists and rebounding — is unique and impressive, it's not ideal.
Coach Kevin Ollie is not shy about reminding his big men that rebounding should be their forte. Amida Brimah, the 7-foot freshman, hears it quite a bit.
"We need him to rebound," Ollie said. "We need him to be our best rebounder. You know, I'd take it personal. If I'm a big [guy] and the point guard is leading us in rebounding, I'm going...

The "Hungry Huskies," as defined by Shabazz Napier, won their championship. Next season, there will be a new team, a new theme, a new trophy to pursue.
Will the 2014-15 UConn men's basketball team be better? Could they be even hungrier?
Now that DeAndre Daniels, who is leaving for the NBA draft, and Ryan Boatright, who is staying for his senior season, have made their decisions, the roster and character of the next UConn team can begin to take shape.
Will there be a "hangover effect?" Players who...

BOSTON – There were a lot of champions at Fenway Park on Tuesday. And if there is one thing one champion can appreciate, it's another.
"Attitude, man, attitude," said David Ortiz, the Red Sox's World Series MVP and legendary clutch performer. "Intensity. And attitude."
Ortiz was talking about the national champion UConn basketball team. Shabazz Napier, who grew up in Roxbury, not far from Fenway Park, and his teammates took their places among champions on Tuesday night.
"It's crazy how much...